221 The word about the valley of vision. Why have all your people gone up to the house-tops? 2 You, who are full of loud voices, a town of outcries, given up to joy; your dead men have not been put to the sword, or come to their death in war. 3 All your rulers ... have gone in flight; all your strong ones have gone far away. 4 For this cause I have said, Let your eyes be turned away from me in my bitter weeping; I will not be comforted for the wasting of the daughter of my people. 5 For it is a day of trouble and of crushing down and of destruction from the Lord, the Lord of armies, in the valley of vision; ... 6 And Elam was armed with arrows, and Aram came on horseback; and the breastplate of Kir was uncovered. 7 And your most fertile valleys were full of war-carriages, and the horsemen took up their positions in front of the town.
8 He took away the cover of Judah; and in that day you were looking with care at the store of arms in the house of the woods. 9 And you saw all the broken places in the wall of the town of David: and you got together the waters of the lower pool. 10 And you had the houses of Jerusalem numbered, pulling down the houses to make the wall stronger. 11 And you made a place between the two walls for storing the waters of the old pool: but you gave no thought to him who had done this, and were not looking to him by whom it had been purposed long before. 12 And in that day the Lord, the Lord of armies, was looking for weeping, and cries of sorrow, cutting off of the hair, and putting on the clothing of grief: 13 But in place of these there was joy and delight, oxen and sheep were being made ready for food, there was feasting and drinking: men said, Now is the time for food and wine, for tomorrow death comes.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Isaiah 22:1-13
Commentary on Isaiah 22:1-7
(Read Isaiah 22:1-7)
Why is Jerusalem in such terror? Her slain men are not slain with the sword, but with famine; or, slain with fear, disheartened. Their rulers fled, but were overtaken. The servants of God, who foresee and warn sinners of coming miseries, are affected by the prospect. But all the horrors of a city taken by storm, faintly shadow forth the terrors of the day of wrath.
Commentary on Isaiah 22:8-14
(Read Isaiah 22:8-14)
The weakness of Judah now appeared more than ever. Now also they discovered their carnal confidence and their carnal security. They looked to the fortifications. They made sure of water for the city. But they were regardless of God in all these preparations. They did not care for his glory in what they did. They did not depend upon him for a blessing on their endeavours. For every creature is to us what God makes it to be; and we must bless him for it, and use it for him. There was great contempt of God's wrath and justice, in contending with them. God's design was to humble them, and bring them to repentance. They walked contrary to this. Actual disbelief of another life after this, is at the bottom of the carnal security and brutish sensuality, which are the sin, the shame, and ruin of so great a part of mankind. God was displeased at this. It is a sin against the remedy, and it is not likely they should ever repent of it. Whether this unbelief works by presumption or despair, it produces the same contempt of God, and is a token that a man will perish wilfully.